10100 Santa Monica Boulevard
Suite 2200
Los Angeles,
California
90067
 310.282.2228
 310.919.3825
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Albert
M.
Cohen
Partner
Albert Cohen specializes in environmental law. He has over 25 years of experience handling complex environmental cases and transactions involving soil and groundwater contamination, hazardous waste, CEQA and NEPA, water law and other aspects of environmental law.
Prior Work Experience
Between 1977 and 1987, Mr. Cohen practiced law with the U.S. government in Washington, D.C. He handled numerous environmental enforcement matters in areas involving land, water and air pollution, as well as occupational health and safety. He served as lead counsel for the Department of Justice in the Love Canal litigation, developing key legal theories that became linchpins in the enforcement of federal hazardous waste and contaminated property law. He also handled a series of major asbestos suits, successfully litigating the main government contract issues in a seminal case. From 1987 to 1988, Mr. Cohen served as in-house environmental counsel at Northrop Corporation.
Since 1988, when he moved to Los Angeles and entered private practice, he has handled numerous substantial matters in areas such as Superfund, private cost recovery, environmental impact analysis, regulatory takings, water laws and environmental compliance.
For many years, Mr. Cohen represented Cadillac Fairview Corporation, Prentiss Copley Investment Group, Prentiss Properties Trust and PacTrust with regard to environmental issues associated with the Del Amo site in Los Angeles, California. He successfully challenged the site's listing as a federal Superfund site and handled environmental issues associated with the financing and sale of properties located at and around the Del Amo site.
He successfully represented the county of Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority NEPA/CEQA litigation that brought to halt construction of MTA's red line through the Hollywood Hills.
In 1999, he brought suit against the county of Santa Barbara for its handling of hazardous wastes at the Ballard Canyon landfill. The case was resolved, with the county paying the largest settlement in its history to Mr. Cohen's clients.
He has handled numerous private cost recovery actions and environmental and toxic tort cases. He represented about 200 parties that sent wastes to the Casmalia disposal site in Santa Barbara County, California, and successfully negotiated a settlement with the EPA that greatly reduced their liability and potential future exposure. He then served as coordinating counsel for a group of about 30 other major parties at the site and developed an approach to negotiations that resulted in a favorable settlement with the EPA. He represents over 70 de minimis parties at the Omega Superfund site in Whittier, California, and a similar number at the Operating Industries Inc. (OII) site in Monterey Park, California. He has assisted numerous clients in obtaining insurance coverage for environmental claims.
He also represented clients in major water law disputes involving the Central Valley Project, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Westlands Water District.
Publications/Speeches
- Speaker, Land Use and CEQA Seminar, Los Angeles, California (March 26, 2008)
- Speaker, Federal Brownfields Update - Where Are We? Where Are We Headed? (September 21, 2007)
- Atlantic Research Clarifies the Right of Voluntary PRPs to Sue but Still 'Contributes' to the Confusion, Toxics Law Reporter, Vol. 22, No. 33 (August 23, 2007)
- Author, A Reminder to Consider the Availability of Historical Liability Insurance Policies When Facing Environmental Contamination Problems, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (April 2007)
- Recent California Appellate Court Decision Provides New Hope for Insureds with Environmental Claims (January 5, 2007)
- Speaker, Contribution Confusion Post-Aviall: Unraveling CERCLA Response Cost Recovery (December 19, 2006)
- EPA's New All Appropriate Inquiry Standard, Toxics Law Reporter (November 9, 2006)
- Author, What Every Environmental Consultant Needs to Tell Its Clients about Environmental Insurance (November 2006)
Media Mentions
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Harvard School of Public Health, M.P.H., 1982
Boston University School of Law, J.D., 1977
Columbia University, B.A., 1974, cum laude with Honors
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
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